CISPA would permit “Internet companies such as Google and Facebook to collect and share a wide range of user data with the government” as reported by Computerworld. Now the White House is raising concerns about CISPA. Caitlin Hayden (spokeswoman for the White House’s National Security Council) in an interview with the Hill said:

The nation’s critical infrastructure cyber vulnerabilities will not be addressed by information sharing alone… information sharing provisions must include robust safeguards to preserve the privacy and civil liberties of our citizens…

Computerworld reported:

…there’s nothing in the language of the bill that would prohibit companies from monitoring private email messages, chat messages and Facebook postings simply by claiming a cybersecurity purpose to the monitoring. They can then share that information with any other entity, including the Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency, without judicial oversight. The bill affords Internet companies a great deal of immunity for conducting such information monitoring and sharing.

Clearly we all need to stay tuned to what Congress does with the proposed CISPA legislation. What do you think?

Peter S. Vogel is a trial partner at Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP, where he is Chair of both the eDiscovery Practice and Internet, eCommerce, and Technology Industry Team. From 1997 until 2009, Peter served as the founding chair of... More...

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Internet, eCommerce & Technology Industry Team

The Gardere Internet, eCommerce and Technology Team assists clients that operate in regional, national and global technology markets. The Internet has transformed social communications and business operations, and our attorneys have years of diverse experience dealing with the distinct needs associated with technology. We are experts with legal issues and concerns that face technology businesses that now operate in a global Internet community.